The present invention generally relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to semiconductor devices utilizing photo-switchable materials.
Optical switches and/or optical memory elements may be incorporated within circuits that include, for example, either optical interconnects or fully optical systems. One example is an optical latch, which may be implemented as a combination of a memory and a switch. According to another example, a synaptic memory element can be programmed using optical signals for neuromorphic computing applications. Neuromorphic computing is based on the operation of synapse structures in biological nervous systems. For example, a biological synapse's resistance may increase or decrease based on pre-synaptic and post-synaptic signals that are delivered by firing neurons. Depending on the order in which the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic signals are received, the synapse may exhibit different transmission states (i.e., passing or inhibiting signals through the synapse).